This invention relates to a reversible and expandable head for cleaning the bottom surfaces of swimming pools. It has become standard practice to construct suction heads of relatively soft materials such as plastics to prevent scratching the bottom surfaces and sides of the pool. These soft materials tend to wear rapidly at points of rubbing when used frequently, as in commercial pool cleaning service. It becomes necessary therefore to replace the heads frequently, a costly procedure.
In present day suction sweeping of swimming pools it is desirable for the operator to own several sweepers of different head widths to permit different pool types to be handled efficiently. With a residential pool having limited pump suction, a narrow head should be employed. The increased number of sweeps does not represent excessive labor. A wider head used in this application would give poor suction at its lateral extremes because of the lower flow capacity of a domestic system. In a larger community pool, on the other hand, with a more powerful pumping arrangement, a wider head would be more efficient in terms of the number of sweeps required.
To overcome the fall-off in suction efficiency with width of the sweeping head, a number of schemes have been employed. In one of these, described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,309, a series of baffles at the sweeper's lateral ends diverts the incoming flow towards the center and thus towards the suction opening. Pool debris is thus directed to a zone of more powerful suction regardless of the speed with which the operator moves the head. Although this design is effective, it requires an elaborate casting to form the sweeper head.
It is one objective of the present invention to provide a modular suction head in which the portions most subject to wear can easily be reversed for additional service.
It is a second objective of the present invention to provide a modular suction head in which the portions most subject to wear can easily be replaced.
It is a third objective of the present invention to provide a readily modifiable suction head whose width can be altered.
It is a fourth objective of the present invention, in another embodiment, to provide means by which the suction can be maintained over an increased range of widths without an elaborate casting.